Physical exercise may be nearly as effective as drugs to
combat depression and anxiety
29 October 2001
Sales of anti-anxiety drugs are reported up as much as 30 per
cent in some areas in the US since the terrorist attacks but experts have
suggested that physical exercise may be nearly as effective. Beth Salcedo,
medical director of the Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders in
Washington, agrees that “exercise can have antidepressant effects, anxiolytic
or anti-anxiety effects”.
Prof Eli Somer, from the University of Haifa, Israel, highlighted research,
published this year in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills, which showed
that taekwondo patients, compared with a control group, had significantly lower
tension, depression, anger, fatigue and confusion. A study from Mind, a leading
mental charity in the UK, found that 83 per cent of people with various mental
health problems looked to exercise to help them lift their mood or reduce
stress. Figures show that two-thirds said that exercise helped relieve
depression symptoms and more than half said it helped reduce stress and anxiety.
(The Washington Post 24/10/01)
© Health Media Ltd 2001
http://www.health-secure.net